Passumpsic (AO 107) - Naval Cruise Book

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Leon o. Quetco EXE OFFICER Lieutenant Commander SHELSO assumed the duties of Executive Officer on 7 April 1969. Lieutenant Commander SHELSO was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1956. After graduation he reported to the USS ROCHESTER QCA-1245 and served until December 1957. After graduation from submarine school in 1958 he served in the submarines Cl-TIVO, SEAPOACHER, TECUM SEH, and CARBONERO until 1966 when he reported to USS MERRICK QLKA-975 as operations officer. Lieutenant Commander SHELSO is married to the former Florence Haslam of Fremont, Nebraska.

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LCDRJ D. W. GARREIT aaa omcera, rzetreveo Lieutenant Commander D. W. Garrett reported aboard PASSUMPSIC on 16 October 1967 at Long Beach, California. t He has Served aboard USS SALAMONIE QAO-26j, USS EVERGLADES QAD-241, USS SPRINGFIELD QCLG-'75 and has had duty in Officer Recruiting, U. S. Naval Receiving Station, San Francisco. His last duty station was the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Lieutenant Commander Garrett holds a BS degree from the University of Alabama and an MS degree from Boston University. Lieutenant Commander Garrett was relieved as Executive Officer by Lieutenant Commander Shelso in April.

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PAQQUMPQG mo-10-fp The USS PASSUMPSIC was built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Chester, Pennsyl- vania. Commissioned on 1 April 1946, the ship is named after the Passumpsic River in Vermont. The name is of Indian origin and means Clear Running Water . After completion of her shakedown cruise, the PASSUMPSIC was assigned to COMSERVPAC under the operational control of Commander Service Squadron One, with a home port of Long Beach, California. From June 1950, the outbreak of the Korean War, until February of 1954, the PASSUMPSIC spent 34 out of 44 months outside the U. S. A. Though never under fire, she won 9 of 10 battle stars awarded the U. S. Naval vessels during that conflict. Further honors include the Battle Efficiency E Award to oilers of the AO-22 Class in 1956, 1960 and 1961. On 12 October 1964, the PASSUMPSIC was underway for Lorain, Ohio, where the ship was delivered to the American Shipbuilding Company for Jumbo conversion. During the year of conversion, the PASSUMPSIC had her length increased by about 90 feet but more importantly, her fuel capacity was increased by 50 per cent. In March 1966, the PASSUMPSIC, with her improved capabilities, again joined the fleet. On 20 September 1966, the PASSUMPSIC departed for the Western Pacific to join Naval Operations in the Vietnam conflict. She carried to the line over 28, 000, 000 gallons of fuel for the ships and aircraft of the Seventh Fleet in addition to mail, repair parts, gases, and lubricants. On 3 July 1969, PASSUMPSIC returned from her third deployment to WESTPAC since conversion. While in support of the Seventh Fleet off Vietnam, PASSUMPSIC gained an enviable record of meeting all scheduled commitments with a total of 319 ships replenished. For these ships PASSUMPSIC trans- ferred nearly 60, 000, 000 gallons of fuel. In the following pages, is the story of this deployment. There were many long hours of work and many moments of frustration, but there were also moments of relaxation. The trips to Manila, Hong Kong, Sasebo, and Muroran will always remain clear in our minds. The PASSUMPSIC has proved herself capable of refueling any ship in the U. S. Navy or Allied Navies by actual performance. The PASSUMPSIC motto Key to Mobility , is amply demonstrated in her ability to keep U. S. ships on the line, carrying out their operational commitments.